Fabrication of Antimicrobial Cellulose and Silver Niobate Aerogels for Enhanced Tissue Regeneration

Abstract

Aging, trauma, infection, illness, and accidents can lead to the disruption of various human tissues, including skin, bone, and cartilage. Tissue engineering aims to promote the growth of cells and tissues within the human body, with scaffolds serving as vehicles to deliver a combination of mechanical and molecular signals to create new tissues for body reconstruction. Composite materials have gained significant attention as an attractive alternative for scaffolding due to their ability to enhance multiple material properties. For instance, cellulose nanofibers are known for their high specific surface area, flexibility, and elasticity. However, their limited bioactivity and slow degradation rates restrict their suitability for tissue engineering applications. In contrast, niobium-based materials, which are biocompatible and nontoxic, have been underexplored in this field. In this study, silver niobate is investigated for the first time as a component of a composite material designed to provide biological activity to an aerogel, thereby creating a multifunctional scaffold for tissue regeneration. Silver niobate nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composite aerogels demonstrated improved thermal stability, hydrophilicity, bioactivity, and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the developed aerogels showed no cytotoxic effects on primary dermal fibroblast (HDFn) cells. These findings suggest that the silver niobate-based aerogel composite holds significant potential for applications in tissue regeneration, offering a promising avenue for the development of advanced biomaterials in regenerative medicine.